FEELING SLUGGISH? DEMOTIVATED? MAKE A CHANGE!

IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH
Ever heard of “runner’s high?” That’s no myth—your body rewards exercise by releasing endorphins (the feel-good hormone). But more than just the temporary feeling of well-being “runner’s high” brings, exercise has proven very effective in relieving symptoms of mental health conditions like anxiety, seasonal affective disorder and clinical depression. New research shows 30 to 60 minutes of daily exercise to be as effective as antidepressant medication in the treatment of mood disorders.

If team sports are your thing, they add still another dimension to the mental wellness effects of activity—the social benefits of combining activity and teamwork are undeniable.
Exercise reactivates your mind-body connection, putting you back in touch with your creativity and problem-solving abilities, ultimately improving mental clarity. So go ahead: write yourself a prescription for exercise and banish your winter blues or creative blockages for good!  Exercise is medicine.

BEAT THE SIGNS OF AGING

In addition to improved posture, muscle tone and flexibility, exercise delivers other age-defying benefits. Activity increases your rate of cellular regeneration—literally helping you grow a younger body.  As your body ages, your cells replace themselves more slowly; increasing activity signals your body to continue replacing your cells longer than it would if you were sedentary

Combined with whole food nutrition, the anti-aging benefits of activity are even more pronounced—getting your heart pumping improves circulation throughout your body, helping distribute nutrients and eliminate toxins system-wide.  Improved circulation brings extra oxygen and blood flow to your skin, too, which rejuvenates and renews it like no anti-wrinkle cream ever could.

REDUCE RISK

It’s common knowledge that living an active life reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke and type-2 diabetes, since obesity has an inverse relationship to physical activity.  But these aren’t the only risks you lower when you exercise regularly—you also prevent many opportunities for injuries commonly associated with aging—plus, you reduce recovery time from those you can’t prevent.

Good core strength (meaning the large and small muscles in your back and abdomen) improves balance and posture, helping to prevent back injuries and falls. Yoga, Pilates and dance are especially good core strengthening activities.

Another risk you reduce through regular activity? Osteoporosis. Multiple studies prove that weight-bearing impact exercises like running, dancing, hiking or high-impact aerobics help to build bone strength and increase bone density.  But you’re not only preventing osteoporosis by strengthening your bones when you’re active -physical activity is alkaline-promoting—and having an alkaline body is another huge factor in bone health.  Stand tall and face the march of time with grace—love your bones by living active.

Take Action:

• Get active! Stay active! Find your right activity—don’t give up until you find it and love it! Try at least one new way to exercise this week. Be as creative as you can in your search.  Make an adventure of your quest, remembering to enjoy exploring along the way.
•  If you’re already regularly active, think about ways you can continue to stay connected with your activity of choice.

1. Is there something you can change about your routine that would inspire you? If yes, start making those changes today.
2. Is there something you could add to your routine that would help you love it more? Investigate possibilities for cross-training.

•  Write down your fitness goals and track your progress.

1. If you’re training, write down what you’re doing each day—be sure to include what you’re eating as you train, as well as your specific activities (repetitions, weights, distances).
2. Refer back to your notes as you have successes (or failures). Use the information to identify any patterns in nutrition or training that may have contributed to your success (or held you back).
3. Is there a challenge that seems just out of reach? (a race or competition you’re reluctant to enter?) Commit to reaching it and step up your training so you can get there—inspire yourself by doing something beyond your comfort zone.

Blessed for your highest good!

><> Sherry Perkins
Personal Fitness Training and Certified Raindrop Therapy Practitioner
Empowered Fitness and Holistic Health
Website: www.EmpoweredHealthFitness.com
Website: www.raindroptherapy.net
PH: 734-646-5582

10 NICE WAYS TO SAY 'NO' TO FOOD PUSHERS

Politely Turn Down Food at Parties and Gatherings

"Here, have some more!"   "It's only the holidays once a year!"  "A little won't matter!"  "I love you!" ...  What do you hear during the holiday season, that temps you to eat what you shouldn't and don't even really want to?  Food temptations are everywhere. From stuffing and pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving to eggnog and sugar cookies in December, the seasonal temptations are endless. It can be tough enough to navigate the turkey buffet without having your host force an extra helping of potatoes on your plate or resisting Grandma's pleas that you take a second piece of her famous apple pie.
 
Food pushers range from well-intentioned loved ones to total diet saboteurs. Regardless of their motivation, it's important to stick to your guns. You can always be honest and say that you're simply trying to eat healthier, but when that response gets ignored (or doesn't come easily), the following responses to their food-forcing ways will keep you in control of what goes on your plate and in your mouth!
 
IMPORTANT:  These tips work year-round at birthday parties, family get-togethers and Sunday brunches!
 
1. The Push: "It's my specialty, you have to try it!"

Your Response: "I will in a bit!"

Why It Works: Stalling is a great tactic with food pushers. Odds are the offender won't follow you around making sure you actually try the dish. If they catch up with you by the end of the party to ask what you thought, tell them that it slipped your mind but you'll be sure to try it next time.
 
2. The Push: "This [insert name of high-calorie dish] is my favorite. You'll love it!"

Your Response: "I had some already—so delicious!"

Why It Works: A white lie in this situation isn't going to hurt anybody. You'll get out of eating food you don't want or need, and the food pusher will have gotten a compliment on what probably is a delicious dish.
 
3. The Push: "It's just once a year!"

Your Response: "But I'll probably live to celebrate more holidays if I stick with my diet plan!"

Why It Works: People can sometimes see healthy eating as vain—a means to the end result of losing weight and looking better. It's harder for a food pusher to argue with you if you bring attention to the fact that you eat right and exercise for better health and a longer life. Looking good just happens to be a side effect!
 
4. The Push: "Looks like someone is obsessed with dieting…"

Your Response: "I wouldn't say obsessed, but I am conscious of what I eat."

Why It Works: Words like "food snob" or "obsessed" are pretty harsh when they're thrown around by food pushers. But don't let passive-aggressive comments like this bring you down—or make you veer away from your good eating intentions. Acknowledging your willpower and healthy food choices might influence others to be more conscious of what they eat. Sometimes you just have to combat food pushers with a little straightforward kindness.
 
5. The Push: "If you don't try my dish, I'm just going to have to force you to eat it!"

Your Response: "Sorry, but I don't like (or can't eat) [insert ingredient here]."

Why It Works: It's hard to argue with someone's personal food preferences. If someone doesn't like an ingredient whether its sweet potatoes, pumpkin, or butter, odds are that he or she hasn't liked it for a very long time. If you'd like to get creative with this one, go into detail about how you got sick on the ingredient as a kid or how your mom says you always threw it across the room as a baby. Who can argue with that?
 
6. The Push: "You need some meat on your bones."

Your Response: "Trust me, I'm in no danger of wasting away!"

Why It Works: This food push is definitely on the passive-aggressive side. Using humor to fight back will defuse any tension while making it clear where you stand.
 
7. The Push: "One bite isn't going to kill you."

Your Response: "I know, but once you pop you can't stop! And I'm sure it's so delicious I wouldn't be able to stop!"

Why It Works: This is another situation where humor will serve to distract the food pusher from his or her mission. It's a way to say "thanks, but no thanks" while making it clear that you're not interested in overindulging.
 
8. The Push: "But it's your favorite!"

Your Response: "I think I've overdosed on it; I just can't eat it anymore!"

Why It Works: If you have a favorite holiday dish that everyone knows you love, it can be especially tough to escape this push. If a loved one made the dish specifically for you, the guilt can be enough to push you over the edge. But people understand that food preferences change, and most have been in that situation of enjoying a dish so much that they can't touch it for awhile.
 
9. The Push: [Someone puts an extra helping on your plate without you asking.]

Your Response: Push it around with your fork like you did as a kid to make it look like you tried it.

Why It Works: While putting food on someone else's plate can be viewed as passive-aggressive, it was probably done with love. (Let's hope!) Making it look like you ate a bite or two can be an easy way out of the situation, but you can also just leave it alone and claim that you've already had your fill. (After all, you didn't add that extra helping!)
 
10. The Push: "Have another drink!"

Your Response: "I have to drive."

Why It Works: No one will argue with the fact that you want to drive home sober. If they do, you should have no qualms walking away from the conversation, period. If they offer a place for you to stay, you can always get out of the situation by blaming an early morning commitment or the fact that you need to get home to let the dog out. Kids will also get you out of everything.
 
11. The Push: "We have so many leftovers. Take some!"

Your Response: "That's OK! Just think, you'll have your meals for tomorrow taken care of."

Why It Works: Not every party guest wants to deal with the hassle of taking food with them, and this makes it clear that you'd rather the food stay. If the host is insistent, you can feign worry that they'll go bad in the car because you're not going straight home, or it'll go bad in your fridge because you've already been given so many leftovers at other parties recently. Or be polite and take them. You'll have more control of your food intake away from the party anyway. So whether you don't eat the leftovers at all or whether you split a piece of pie with your spouse, you're in control in this situation.
 
These tactics can work wonders in social situations, but honesty is the best policy. A simple "No, thank you" is hard for a food pusher to beat, especially if it's repeated emphatically. Remember, too, that it's okay to have treats in moderation, so don't deprive yourself of your favorite holiday foods. Just make sure that you're the one in control of your splurges—not a friend, family member or co-worker who doesn't know your fitness and health goals!
 
Do you have a favorite way to say, "No, thank you," to food pushers? Send me an email with your strategies.  I would love to hear from you!

BLESSED HOLIDAYS!

YOU'RE INVITED!

Gosh ~ It's been awhile since I've put anything on the Empowered Health and Fitness Blog!   Maybe you are glad for a break from my health and wellness email encouragements?  SMILE!   I've been just "a little" busy becoming a new Grandma, and becoming engaged to Paul Larned.

I've missed this Empowered Health and Fitness connection with all of you!  To jump start a new beginning, I am inviting you to join Empowered Health and Fitness in honoring our Wounded Warriors (http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/) and all our Veterans this Veterans Day, Friday November 11, 2011.

• 4PM Walk or Run to Flagpole (1/2 mile)
• 5PM Red/White/Blue healthy potluck dinner
• 7PM Dedication Ceremony of new Ypsilanti American Legion Post 282

Any who would like, may come to Sherry's at 4PM to join me in a walk or run from my house down to the Lakeshore Flagpole (just 1/2 mile) and back.  Feel free to bring a friend and just let me know if you want to join me in this.

Otherwise, wear your patriotism or military service sector support, bring a salad or fruit and come for a potluck dinner gathering at 5PM.  Following dinner we will head over to the dedication of the new American Legion Post 282 for their opening ceremony which starts at 7:00PM.   

I need to RSVP how many people are coming to their opening ceremony, so please let me know your RSVP as soon as possible.

Whether you can make this Veteran Day gathering or not, please take a moment to check out the Wounded Warrior Project (http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/) and consider giving your financial support and prayers to those who have so sacrificed for our country and our freedoms.

Blessed for your highest good!

><>  Sherry Perkins
Personal Fitness Training and Certified Raindrop Therapy Practitioner
Empowered Fitness and Holistic Health
Website: www.EmpoweredHealthFitness.com
Website: www.raindroptherapy.net
PH: 734-646-5582

FEED IT! ~ THE MYSTERY OF MOTIVATION

What motivates you?  

As a Personal Fitness Trainer I think a lot about what motivates my clients.

What makes us pick up our feet and do what we gotta do? 

What I find is that motivation works the same way, backwards and forwards. It's like this...

BACKWARDS:

I eat one Hershey's Kiss. I am motivated to eat more.
My job is mostly sedentary. I am motivated to be less active.
My co-workers (mostly healthy weights) like to snack (on unhealthy foods). I am motivated to do the same.
I find comfort in certain foods. I am motivated to drug myself with them.
None of this takes much effort. I am motivated to do even less.

FORWARDS:

I read a success-story blog on Spark. My endorphins kick in. I am motivated to want success.
I skip an unhealthy snack. It isn't as hard as I thought it would be. I am motivated to do it again.
No pasta or pizza till I can't breathe, and I sleep better. I am motivated to eat more healthfully and lightly.
Moving, even a little bit, raises my energy. I am motivated to move more.

What we feed grows.

If we feed the negative in our lives, it gets bigger. It becomes an unending cycle of drudgery and pain. And it continually gets worse.   It can be so easy to become an EXPERT at feeding the negative. I think we all know how to do that.

If we feed the positive in our lives, it gets bigger. The cycle is now made up of health, strength, and energy. Feeding the positive, well, that's a learning experience for me. It takes planning and effort and action. It takes conscious overcoming and taking an honest inventory of what makes you negative and what keeps you negative.   It's usually NOT food.   What is it for you?
 
Recently I've been feeding both. Talk about confusion. No wonder my mind and body can't quite get it together.  I've fed my negative cycle with poor food choices and poor sleep. I've fed my positive cycle with lots of water and some great physical exertion.  My goal is to replace the negative with positive the absolute majority of the time.  Looks like my work is cut out for me.

How do you feed the positive in your life? What makes you pick up your feet and do what you gotta do?  Give me a call, email or text and let me know.  I'm loving compiling the positive motivators list that so helps me and all others.

Blessed for your highest good!

><>  Sherry Perkins
Personal Fitness Training and Certified Raindrop Therapy Practitioner
Empowered Fitness and Holistic Health
Website: www.EmpoweredHealthFitness.com
Website: www.raindroptherapy.net
PH: 734-646-5582

9 Blessings of Upward Sports Ministry Basketball Camp

This week Empowered Health and Fitness had the privilege of participating in Upward Sports Ministry Basketball Camp coaching a team of nine 2nd/3rd grade girls, the Almighty ~ "Lady Ducks"!   

CONGRATULATIONS: Colette, Chloe, Ashlyn, Sydney, Nia, Genna, Ella, Bethany and Charity! Great job completing a week of Basketball Camp with the Upward Sports Outreach Ministry of Cross and Resurrection Lutheran Church.   You are all STARS in Christ and more than earned your daily stars of recognition for: learning, effort, defense, offense, Christ-likeness, and Sportsmanship.

Camp Theme Verse:

"Show proper respect to everyone".

(1 Peter 2:17 NIV)

Upward Sports provides a fun kids sports experience based on healthy competition.  Last year, more than 550,000 K5 through sixth-grade kids had a great basketball, soccer, flag football or cheer-leading experience through one of 2,400 leagues or camps.  Upward Sports seeks to help children grow not only as an athlete but emotionally, mentally, socially, physically and spiritually.  The program allows players to made a significant contribution to their team.

Since they are the world's largest Christian sports league for children, there is probably a kids league or camp near you. Find one today!

Blessed for your highest good!

><>  Sherry Perkins
Personal Fitness Training and Certified Raindrop Therapy Practitioner
Empowered Fitness and Holistic Health
Website: www.EmpoweredHealthFitness.com
Website: www.raindroptherapy.net
PH: 734-646-5582

EXERCISE CAN HELP YOU SLEEP

Workouts Improve Your  Sleep Patterns

I know, I know … You stayed up late last night to finish a project, woke up groggy , skipped breakfast, then almost fell asleep in the middle of the morning.   It’s now mid-afternoon and, as you’re having yet another cup of coffee to stifle yet another yawn, you realize you’re seemingly sleep walking through your days.

You’re not the only one.    Although most experts agree that the average adult needs eight hours, most of us have burned our candle at both ends. But how do you get off this "sleep deficit" merry-go-round?  It's easy to say, "get more sleep" but what if you're simply spending frustrating hours tossing and turning, and having trouble finding deep slumber?

First, it’s important to be aware that sleep is not a passive activity.  Healthy sleep is every bit as valuable to your overall well-being as exercise and good nutrition.  Research shows that a lack of deep sleep (as opposed to irregular or fragmented sleep) undermines the body's ability to fight off disease. Perpetual sleepiness can reduce the quality and quantity of your work by a third, according to the NSF.  In fact, if you’re sleep-deprived you’re likely to have higher concentrations of sugar in your blood, which could contribute to development of a pre-diabetic condition.

Moderate exercise lasting 20 to 30 minutes three or four times a week generally results in better sleep and more energy.  You may have to find your own exercise rhythm-– some people can exercise any time, while others do better if they work out in the morning or afternoon, not near bedtime. But, vigorous exercise during the day and mild exercise before bedtime will not only help you fall asleep and stay asleep more easily, but will increase the amount of time you spend in deepest sleep phase (Stage 4 sleep).

In fact, in a study on sleep patterns of adults aged 55 to 75 who were sedentary and troubled by insomnia, exercise was shown to play a key role.  Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine asked these adults to exercise 20 to 30 minutes every other day in the afternoon by walking, engaging in low-impact aerobics, and riding a stationary bicycle.  The result? Time required to fall asleep was reduced by half, and total sleep time increased by almost one hour.

What’s more, exercise offers many other mental benefits:

• Reduces stress by helping to dissipate the lactic acid that accumulates in your blood
• Sharpens your brain by increasing the amount of oxygen available
• Eases built-up muscular tension
• Strengthens and stimulates your heart and lungs
• Stimulates your nervous system
• Increases your production of endorphins— those little substances which create a sense of well-being and increase your body's resistance to pain
• Stimulates release of epinephrine, a hormone that creates a sense of happiness and excitement
• Increases deep sleep, as the brain compensates for physical stress

Shakespeare didn’t know about sleep studies when he wrote about "sleep that knits up the raveled sleeve of care," but it seems he did know one thing—there’s nothing better than a good night’s sleep!

Blessed for your highest good!

><>  Sherry Perkins
Personal Fitness Training and Certified Raindrop Therapy Practitioner
Empowered Fitness and Holistic Health
Website: www.EmpoweredHealthFitness.com
Website: www.raindroptherapy.net
PH: 734-646-5582

2011 UPWARD BOUND BASKETBALL CAMP

Sherry Perkins, Empowered Health and Fitness, will be among several coaches participating in the 2011 Upward Bound Basketball Camp Ministry reaching out to youth in the Washtenaw County area the week of August 15th to 20th.  Please keep these kids and volunteers in your prayers for all God's best to flow in to their lives.  More to come, but here is a video introduction:

Blessed for your highest good!

><>  Sherry Perkins
Personal Fitness Training and Certified Raindrop Therapy Practitioner
Empowered Fitness and Holistic Health
Website: www.EmpoweredHealthFitness.com
Website: www.raindroptherapy.net
PH: 734-646-5582